Lisbon , Portugal -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pope Benedict XVI made one of his strongest statements to date on the sex abuse scandal sweeping the Roman Catholic Church , saying Tuesday the reality he has seen is `` terrifying . ''

And he distanced himself from criticism of the media by senior Vatican officials , saying the most important attacks on the church do n't come from the outside , they come from the sins of the members of the church , CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen said .

Benedict was speaking on his plane en route to Portugal , where he is making a four-day visit .

He has said very little in public about the scandal , which has swept Western Europe this year , leading bishops to quit or offer to quit in Ireland , Germany and Belgium .

Hundreds of people have come forward this year saying they were abused by priests or other Catholic authority figures there and in Austria , Netherlands and the United States .

He said three weeks ago he was `` greatly moved '' by meeting victims of abuse in Valletta , Malta .

He said he gave the victims `` assurances of the church 's action '' after the April 18 meeting .

It is not clear if he plans to meet victims of abuse in Portugal , which has not been as badly shaken by the scandal as many other European countries .

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Pope Benedict XVI says reality of church child abuse scandal is `` terrifying ''

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Pontiff says most serious attacks on the church come from within

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Benedic was speaking en route to Portugal